REVIEW:
THE CONJURING: LAST RITES, September 5th, 2025, (R) Dir. by Michael Chaves. Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Mia Tomlinson, and Ben Hardy.
"The Case That Ended It All" should hold a lot of clout based on the previous ghost hunting adventures had by Ed and Loraine Warren respectively played with ease by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Even more promising when you add Mia Tomlinson's Judy Warren, the Warren's only daughter, and Ben Hardy who plays her fiancé, Tony Spera to the mix and allow them to get in on the exorcism fun. Ever more promising is the cherry on top tease that something nefarious has plagued Judy in a brilliantly emotional opening sequence. However, at the dark, nefarious start is not enough to save the dark possession that befalls upon this final Conjuring offering. After the emotional setup, the story drudges along showcasing the Warren's in their failing retirement, a sharp contrast to Judy's burgeoning young adult life and career. Simultaneously, the Smurl family in west Pennsylvania receive a mysterious artifact (no spooky spoilers here), that possesses their home. After many attempts to get the Warren's to help with the case fail, a surprise death finally persuades them to take on the case, but not alone. You guessed it, in true 2020's Ghostbusters fashion Judy and Tony join the quest to help rid the Spurl family household of the mysterious ghouls that haunt them.
. Wilson and Farmiga seem to know this is their swan song to the characters that provided them with job security for the last decade as they nail every detail to the costumes, to mannerisms, to voices to fully flesh Ed and Loraine Warren out to characters we care about and root for. Tomlinson adds depth to the Warren family as Judy whose early infant death and revival up the stakes when she is put into danger later on in the film. Ben Hardy's Tony, poor guy doesn't quite know what kind of family he's marrying into, adds a surprising layer to the heroic quartet as a committed fiancé determined to free the love of his life from the forces that have always plagued her mental state. The pacing is the real demon here as it slows and speeds up to a falter. With a feel that can make one nostalgic for the Exorcist films, although with cheap effect, and suspense that mostly works especially when a shock twist causes a character to turn towards the end, The Conjuring: Last Rites floats along with enough scares to make the most Atari horror fan find the edge of their seat. One cool note is the very end of the film which holds a pretty neat logical use of some great cameos. Overall, this Conjuring franchise goes out with a slight jump scare as Ed and Loraine's adventures finally make us rejoice in their well deserved retirement.
CONSENSUS: This case doesn't really reach out and possess you.
GRADE: C+
